Video: take a closer look at the new Ford Explorer

Ford wants you to rethink what that Blue Oval badge means, in Europe at least. No more small hatchbacks like the Fiesta and the Focus. The plan is to build fewer cars, sell them at bigger profits, and double down on what Ford thinks sets it apart. Chiefly, being American. So future Fords will look more land-of-the-free, and they’ll be themed more around adventurous outdoorsyness than school-run buses.

This brings us to an all-new Ford family hatchback: the Explorer. It’s a medium-sized all-electric crossover with five seats, a big square boot, and a chunky-but-friendly look about it. It’ll go on sale later this year with prices starting at less than £40,000, which slots it neatly between the current hybrid Kuga and the all-electric Mustang Mach-E.

So, the question is whether Ford’s bold, new, unashamedly American-looking strategy will pay off everywhere else. Top Gear magazine’s senior road test editor, Ollie Kew, takes a closer look.